One child sex offence recorded every 8 minutes

The NSPCC said the figures suggested police were making real progress in how they investigated sex offences against childrenNiall Carson/PA

More child sex offences than ever were recorded by police last year, according to figures released today.

The number rose by 15 per cent to 64,667 in the twelve months to March, the equivalent of an offence recorded every eight minutes. Almost 14,000 of the alleged offences were against young people under the age of 10, including 193 allegedly involving a child under 12 months.

One in ten offences had an online component, up by 59 per cent on the previous year, according to figures obtained by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) using freedom of information laws.